Trip planning can be a blast. It can also be stressful. Guidebooks are a great starting place regardless.

Everybody has their own unique style of travel, right? It’s why people like to say, “If you travel well with somebody, you’ll be just fine when you _____________.” (Fill in the blank, really — “get married,” “move in together,” etc.)

Mom and I travel well together, but we do have different styles. I’m a backpacker — crowded bus terminals, on-the-fly decisions, hilarious amounts of discomfort and all. Surely if my mom were 40 years younger, she’d be into the comedy of 25-hour bus rides and dorm sleeping accommodations in gun-filled train station basements. But my mom isn’t a backpacker, and while she doesn’t need four-star hotels, she prefers to have a western toilet attached to her room.

Travel and Fitness Editor Kyle Wagner grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in Lake County, Ill., and Naples, Fla., before moving to Denver in 1993, where she reviewed restaurants for Westword before moving to The Denver Post in 2002. She considers the best days to be those that involve her teenage daughters and doing something outside, preferably mountain biking or whitewater rafting.

The pursuit of a healthier state through better living. The Denver Post's ColoradoFit blog features local experts on the latest fitness trends, active lifestyles and nutrition options in Colorado and beyond.